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Table of Contents
About The Book
Meet Moses, an orphaned elephant baby from Malawi, Africa, who is curious, loving, and full of mischief! This nonfiction picture book bursts with fun facts and adorable photographs.
Moses is a little elephant who lives at the Jumbo Foundation, a home for orphaned animals in Africa. Like all elephants, Moses has big, floppy ears, and a very long trunk.
But in many ways, Moses is just like any kid! He likes to play with his animal friends and with his human baby sister, Catherine. He loves to cuddle and give great big hugs. He likes to share...but not always. And sometimes, he can be a bit naughty!
So get ready to learn all about elephants, to understand the challenges we face in protecting them, and to make friends with Moses—he can’t wait to meet you!
Moses is a little elephant who lives at the Jumbo Foundation, a home for orphaned animals in Africa. Like all elephants, Moses has big, floppy ears, and a very long trunk.
But in many ways, Moses is just like any kid! He likes to play with his animal friends and with his human baby sister, Catherine. He loves to cuddle and give great big hugs. He likes to share...but not always. And sometimes, he can be a bit naughty!
So get ready to learn all about elephants, to understand the challenges we face in protecting them, and to make friends with Moses—he can’t wait to meet you!
About The Author
Photograph courtesy of the author
Jenny Perepeczko was born in Gweru, Zimbabwe, in 1964 and spent her early childhood on the family farm before they emigrated to Malawi to farm in the Mchinji district. Her earliest memories are of her parents fostering a wide variety of both domestic and wild animals that had been injured or orphaned. From a very young age she started to get involved with the care of these animals. As an adult she has continued this work. As a result of Moses the elephant coming into her life, Jenny has set up the Jumbo Foundation to take care of large wild animals in need of fostering or nursing until they are able to be returned to the wild. Jenny has three children—Louise, Craig, and Cheryl—and one grandchild, Catherine, all of whom share her devotion to helping animals in need.
Product Details
- Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (November 1, 2014)
- Length: 48 pages
- ISBN13: 9781442496033
- Ages: 4 - 8
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Raves and Reviews
"At the core, this is a tremendous story about the Jumbo Foundation, an organization devoted to caring for large wild animals until they can be released back into the wild. . . . Readers will get a sense of the love and tenderness that the author felt for Moses. . . the conversational style will make readers feel at home with the family as they care for Moses. There’s plenty of inspiration here for animal lovers. . . a touching rescue story."
– School Library Journal, May 2014
"A rescued baby elephant raised in Malawi turns out to be much like a human baby, exploring his world, needing cuddles and comfort, learning to use his body parts and making friends. Chapter by chapter, the Zimbabwean-born author, the orphaned elephant's "human mama," gives amusing examples of the baby's behavior, imagining his ideas and feelings as though he were a human child.... A "true story" with an extensive text and extra helping of imagination."
– Kirkus Reviews, May 2014
"The founder of the Jumbo Foundation Elephant Orphanage in Malawi introduces the baby pachyderm that helped inspire her efforts in this insightful biography, filled with photographs and anecdotes. . . . Unlike some animal biographies, an omniscient narrator gives voice to Moses’s thoughts and feelings. . . this light personification can make the elephant seem as much like a fictional picture book protagonist as a real-life animal. Information about elephants is scattered throughout the book in captions and gathered in the closing pages."
– Publishers Weekly, June 2014
"It’s hard to resist the lure of an inquisitive little elephant, and the brief chapters could provide engaging readalouds for kids close enough to gaze with wonder."
– The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, September 2014
"The book focuses on Moses’ adventures as he explores the world around him just like a mischievous human toddler.... Dynamic full-color photographs of baby Moses and the other animals at the sanctuary are captioned with interesting facts about elephant anatomy.... Moses’ story honors the mission of the Jumbo Foundation: to teach children about the importance of being kind to animals and respecting the natural world."
– Booklist Online, August 5, 2014
Awards and Honors
- Kansas NEA Reading Circle List Intermediate Title
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Moses Hardcover 9781442496033(2.2 MB)
- Author Photo (jpg): Jenny Perepeczko Photograph courtesy of the author(0.1 MB)
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